96 Quite Bitter Beings: My 21st Blog of the year 2026

Well, g'day guys, & welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that Aunty Tan & Rejean have left Whanganui in which they gladly enjoy that when our family such as Pops, Dad, Raewyn, Bryan & Viv bid farewell to them when we were at Whanganui airport (It was the day after we enjoyed our whanau meal at Rutland Arms Inn with Dad, Raewyn, Raewyn's daughter, me, Pops, Nigel, Isaac, Nathan (Nazza who is Isaac's friend, but he's very similar to my Dad in terms of or regardless of his height), Aunty Tan, Rejean, Bryan & Viv, same day we had a fish & chip dinner meal altogether for an ideal start to 2026) on the same day we saw both Andy & Kelsey briefly, but I went to the Vinyl Room to resurface the dreaded SWBF2 2005 PlayStation 2 disc that is still not working which costs 5 bucks, but unfortunately Techno Fix has been closed until January 5th so me & Pops will have to go there for disc cleaning (We tried going there, but they hardly have one, while EB Games (Who I heard rumors that the gaming retailer that I always go since it opened in 2010 here in Whanganui which is by far one of my fave shops in town is closing down all of its 38 stores & it's distribution centre due to declining sales as well as a retail climate meaning that I have to go to either the Warehouse or JB Hi-fi to buy games & stuff as I heard a comment from one of my old friends of Jay at BNZ, & what is my reaction of EB closing? Well I'm stunned, I am absolutely devastated that its finally shutting down as EB Games had to go when the employees were asked by a letter being sent, & I mean this is absolute ludicrous that the shenanigans told to close it for good according to that decision which marked a turning point) does not, so we went to the library to find out, but unfortunately that they can't do that anymore because the disc cleaner had been broken), but if it doesn't, I'll have to trade it in for money just like I did not want that EA Sports Rugby game for that is completely not working, & I'm worried about Pops buying too much food so that Dad can declutter the food every time he comes to our place at 15A Kells Avenue on Sunday if Pops is not around here (And I should not tell Pops about it so that I can keep a secret from him).

And secondly in one of 3 the newspaper articles I saw on Whanganui Chronicle on the 3rd of January that I remember such as the tennis that our own Kiwi player Lulu Sun who had to pull out of the ASB Classic Women through injury after she revealed that Sun (Who reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon the year before, & would have been a positive frame in mind following a tough season last year during the Asian swing, with 4 eye-catching weeks in China) could not recover in time & is not prepared to take on the rigours of the ATP event, but her withdrawal has been a double blow, but the latest in the tennis in Auckland at the ASB Classic women where Ukraine's Elina Svitolina triumphs against China's Wang Xin Yu in the final in which Svitolina was able to redeem herself 2 years after falling short against the American Coco Gauff (Who was in deep trouble after losing to Elina Svitolina in the Australian Open women's singles quarterfinals where TV cameras spotted Gauff at a dressing room smashing a racquet in defeat (And I mean, what the hell's wrong with it? But tournament organisers are scrambling the support staff of a tennis player of asking to cut the cameras off so they can give them space, just like an incident involving Aryna Sabalenka who smashed a racquet during the US Tennis Open last year that I saw footage from the Pardon the Interruption programme (And this is an infringement for several codes buddy!) in a newspaper headline that I saw on the Whanganui Chronicle on the 29th of January dubbed as: APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION) in 2024, but isn't Elina's husband Gael Monfils the Frenchman who triumphed last year delighted to witness his wife's title victory at Stanley Street (And the late Carole who was always been a tennis follower would've known that result if she was alive, but unfortunately that she is no longer with us when Carole passed away last year in November for well, that was a bit of a shock (That was both sad & emotional about the loss for which I am heartbroken about it, so too is Pops (Who thought that he was a tennis follower, but he doesn't now), & her bros of Marty & Zaki), especially both the Ngapo & Webb whanau altogether (And they still have her son Andy up in the North Shore in Orewa with his wife for about presumably 7 years of Kelsey).

And thirdly that Aussie cricketer Usman Khawaja (The one who immigrated to Australia from Islamabad (Pakistan's capital city) as a child, battling the odds of to become the country's first Pakistan-born national player as he had been affected by racial stereotypes throughout his international cricket career, therefore forcing him to quit hence the reason why) is set to retire by calling time on international cricket following the 5th & final Ashes test (AKA the New Year's test) against England in Sydney at 39 who is set to pad up one last time when they take to the field for the 88th time (Where the classy left-hander returns to where it all began, back in 2011 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, also against the English) if available which begins on January 4th, therefore ending months of speculation about his future (And by the way, happy retirement Uzzie, the Aussies have done proud, so, good on him), but there has been an update as Australia win the Ashes series 4 - 1 after a most commanding but overwhelmingly dominant victory by 5 wickets over England thanks to centuries from both Travis Head (Who was the most standout player of the game) & Steve Smith in the 1st innings, while the English responded with centuries to Joe Root (His second on Aussie soil (And first since the Brisbane test) in the 1st innings, then Jacob 'Beth' Bethell (His first century ever in test cricket) in the 2nd innings, but it wasn't decent enough to overpower the Aussies in Usman Khawaja's farewell test as he signs off international cricket in style, as well as the last time that the Australians see Smith as well as Mitchell Starc (Who received the 2025-26 Ashes series MVP (Most valuable player) for being the top wicket taker of the entire campaign at 31 (That is 9 ahead of the Englishman Brydon Carse who bagged in 22 wickets for the English), Pat Cummins (Whose only involvement in the Ashes series was the 3rd test in Adelaide where Steve Smith was unavailable through sickness allowing Cummins to take over as captain, before Smith himself was available for selection in Melbourne for the Boxing Day test where he returned as the skipper after Cummins succumbed to an injury meaning that his Ashes series is over), Josh Hazlewood (Who just wasn't involved at all where he was ruled out of the series through injury) & Nathan Lyon (Who played in the 1st test in Brisbane but was left out of the 2nd test in Brisbane before returning in the 3rd test where he picked up an hamstring tear on the 5th & final day with his Ashes campaign had ended) on Aussie soil against England who won't have both Root & Ben Stokes (Who had a groin issue that tore his adductor on the fourth morning of the 5th Ashes test to become yet another casualty of England's dreadful Ashes tour as the captain bowled 10 deliveries from the beginning of play on Wednesday, then pulled up in his follow-through holding his right groin) around in 2029.

And finally that the British boxer of Anthony Joshua (The one who beat Jake Paul to retain the title in the US), has managed to survive in his ancestral homeland in Nigeria with minor injuries along with the driver who is expected to face charges for a vehicular accident causing death twice, after being discharged from hospital then being held in law enforcement custody that claimed the life of both Latif Ayodele & Sina Ghami in Lagos in which Joshua paid respects to the fallen victims at the funeral home where the bodies of his friends were being ready for repatriation.

So that is my 669th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 21st of this year, viva Ukraine.

Lovesick Lullaby: My 20th Blog of the year 2026

Well, hello lovelies, & welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the cricket as England snap a 18 match losing run on Australian soil for the first time since January 2011 during the 5th & final test in Sydney (One of the players like Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, & others who had never experienced a win for the English on Australian soil before, up until that point) with a win against Australia (Who retained the Ashes by clinching it in the 3rd test in Adelaide with 2 remaining tests to spare) during the Boxing Day test in Melbourne which was completed inside 2 days (And there could have been a 3rd day in front of a sold out crowd who were restless since the 2nd day ended with an English victory), but the English have lost pace bowler of Gus Atkinson who'll take no further part in the next test in Sydney AKA the New Year's Pink test through injury (And he is the 3rd English bowler after both Mark Wood (His Ashes campaign lasted just the one test in Perth) & Jofra Archer (Who played the first 3 tests in Perth, Brisbane & Adelaide before being ruled out of the Boxing Day test in Melbourne with a side strain, & is likely to be ruled out of the 5th & final test along with Atkinson scheduled in Sydney on the 4th to 8th of January at the Sydney Cricket Ground) to succumb to injuries throughout the England pace bowling camp).

And secondly that there was a rugby story, about the All Blacks would never ever win a men's Rugby World Cup again in 2019 & 2023 (Both won by South Africa), after the retirements of both great AB's of Richie McCaw (Captain of the 2007, 2011 & 2015 tournaments for New Zealand (While his only tournament that McCaw wasn't the skipper was in 2003 back then when he made his men's RWC tournament debut) & Dan Carter (Whose net worth is between 20 to 30 million New Zealand dollars due to him setting up a business during his post playing rugby career, but he & McCaw handpicked of who their favourite rugby player was, & it's been revealed that it was a New Zealander of the late Jonah Lomu who had been once best described as a human wrecking ball, as well as a juggernaut by most passionate fanatics throughout the rugby community & fraternity not just in NZ but around the world, (Especially in South Africa that their fans (Compared to the Fijians who are by far, the best rugby fans on the planet) who literally miss him) during his rugby career).

And thirdly that I was having a steak meal with chips, eggs & onions at Caroline's Boatshed on the 28th of December last year (2025), it had taken way too long like 2 hours or so when I was with Pops, Aunty Tan & Rejean (Who both seemed to love that New Zealand trip), unlike the dessert that I had here on New Year's eve at Thai Villa saying that they wasted their time to make it (And trust me that last year was turbulent due to the wars such as the one in Gaza that they used to have, but that dreadful invasion since 2022 has still been going (And they're trying to find a solution of ending it for that will be an unlikely cause for that swiftful & peaceful end to that conflict just like my dreaded Star Wars Battlefront II 2005 Playstation 2 game that Aunty Tan gave it to me for Christmas which still had its gremlins), & political upheaval such as that dreadful American leader's tariff policies & anti-immigration stance regime that had been put on in which American people have gone crazy towards him (And they'll be terrified about that).

And lastly that the season opening F1 season, takes place in Australia in Melbourne on March 6th to 8th in which the new British world champion Lando Norris (The one who races for the defending constructors champions McLaren, & is the first British world champion other than multiple world champ Sir Lewis Hamilton since the current senior consultant adviser for the Atlassian Williams F1 Team of Jenson Button back in 2009) is expected to return to defend the crown that he won last year when he was able to beat his main rivals of Red Bull's Dutchman Max Verstappen (Whose utter dominance in F1 since claiming his maiden world championship in 2021 marked the beginning of the end for him) by 2 points & his Aussie teammate Oscar Piastri at the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix event for which was totally epic, but the new loopholes will change, such as the car design that will be entertaining & appealing to a new generation of fans + the new Audi F1 Team will be there, so too is the Cadillac F1 Team as the 11th constructor on the grid, meanwhile the first race of this year's IndyCar (In which the championship series along with the Haas F1 Team in Formula One had been affected by that dreadful American leader's tariff situation back in April last year, especially the imported stuff such as racing cars from Dallara which comes from Italy, & equipment that left drivers, team owners & fans aghast about the US President's decision to impose such baseline tariffs like that, meaning that everything is dear at the moment in terms of the price hike, especially inflation had been skyrocketed such as high prices on tax stuff meaning that they put every duty items to America on ice which would be the worst since the Smoot-Hawley legislation act (For that had been better than the current President of the United States & his tariff policies) from 1930 designed to encourage Americans of staying away from trying to purchase foreign goods, as they guarded American farmers & businesses passed by the late US President Herbert Hoover at the time during the Great Depression a year after the greatest economic downturn had occurred when the entire United States stock market had collapsed in 1929 as many people were jobless, until the Second World War came around a decade later in 1939 where most unemployed people would even end up on the frontlines of the armed forces before it ended in 1945 (A year after the US were unable to hold an election due to that dreadful war that claimed millions of lives in 1944) with a pair of atomic bombs exploded in both Hiroshima & Nagasaki in Japan) season will take place on the streets of St Pete in Florida in the US on March 1st (A week before the Australian GP) with Spaniard Alex Palou attempting of winning an unprecedented 5th IndyCar Series championship, but his rivals like the newly knighted Sir Scott Dixon (Palou's rival & teammate driving for Chip Ganassi Racing (That's Palou's team that he currently races for, but he should've driven for Arrow McLaren SP the year before after he mistakenly signed a contract in 2023 for which was an accident, but he already had a contract with the Chip Ganassi Racing team therefore triggering a contractual dispute between both parties that hasn't resolved for) will have other ideas to beat him, & end his title chances, & last but not least, the opening round of the new Supercars Championship, takes place at Sydney Motorsport Park for the Sydney 500 (Which is a week away until the new IndyCar season, & a fortnight until the next round on the streets of Melbourne (Which hosts the season opening F1 event at the Australian Grand Prix (Adelaide hosted it first, from 1985 until 1995 until Melbourne (Who stole the GP hosting rights from Adelaide according to one of the comments that I vaguely remember from Aunty Tan back in December last year) took over from 1996 until 2019, & since 2022) before New Zealand hosts back to back events such as Taupo first at the former A1GP venue of Taupo International Motorsport Park, then to the South Island for the very first time at the newly upgraded Euromarque Motorsport Park in Ruapuna), as the new champion from last year of twice Bathurst 1000 winner Chaz Mostert who defends his crown in a Toyota Supra with other rivals such as leading Kiwi Matt Payne (The man who dominated the Bathurst 1000 last year with Aussie Garth Tander who has then won it 6 times when they held off the challenge of James Goulding & David Reynolds in the wet at Bathurst that was marred by 7 full course yellow safety car caution periods being brought out, as he became the first New Zealander to win the Great Race in 2 years since the pair of Shane van Gisbergen & Richie Stanaway in 2023 (And is Payne the new Scott McLaughlin? Is he the real deal as he becomes the next Kiwi superstar in the Supercars Championship? Well, I think so), the Ampol RB Racing (Who will return to Ford as part of their resurgence to the top last year for the Blue Oval in terms of parity (Similar to McLaren in Formula One where they dominated the constructors championship 2 years straight in both the year before & last year with Britain's Lando Norris (One of 4 world champions on the F1 grid (3 former & 1 current) this year along with Fernando Alonso (Twice in 2005-06), Lewis Hamilton (7 times in 2008, 2014-15, & 2017-20) & Max Verstappen (4 times from 2021 until the year before) for which will be the first since 2022 where Alonso, Hamilton & Verstappen lined up, but Sebastian Vettel was there racing for Aston Martin until he retired of course (And Lando is taking Vettel's place with the 4 world champions lining up in the 2026 grid won 14 world championships between them) finally coming out on top of course to end the utter dominance of Max who dominated the competition 4 times in a row from 2021, until also the year before) for the first time since 2009 for next season after spending 16 seasons with Holden then Chevy) duo of both Broc Feeney (Who Mostert had him on the ropes during the opening laps of the final race of the season when a crucial error from Feeney, handed Chaz the championship for the very first time as he managed to cling on to the lead until the checkered flag had waved in that historic first ever finals series where Chazzie took control of it as he had taken the advantage in the aftermath of Feeney who made a mistake, & from then on, as the Supercars Championship, was for Chaz's taking) & former champion Will Brown, Tickford Racing's Cameron Waters, & the former champion from 2023 who drives for DJR of Brodie Kostecki, will attempt to end Chaz's aspirations of retaining the title.

So that is my 668th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 20th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Roll on Down the Highway: My 19th Blog of the year 2026

Well, hi everyone, & welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first in the cricket in New Zealand that the Black Caps (Who had to declare not once, but twice in the 1st & 2nd innings) secure an unlikely win by 323 runs over the West Indies at Bay Oval in Tauranga to take out the test series 2 - 0 thanks to a ton in both innings from New Zealand captain Tom Latham, & a double century by none other than Devon Conway (Who got a ton in the 2nd innings as he was awarded standout player of the match honours) during the first innings, then a fifer from Jacob Duffy (Who was the standout player of the series as the top wicket taker as he gets past Sir Richard Hadlee way back in 1985 as the most wickets taken in all formats by a New Zealand bowler) in the 2nd innings to add to his 4 wickets in the 1st innings as we put them into a strong position to win the 3rd test comprehensively, in which we ended 2025 on a perfect note.

And secondly that I had a cracker of a Christmas there with the whole family at Dad's place where we opened the presents (Including F1: the Movie starring Brad Pitt that I haven't still seen, & the Star Wars Battlefront II PlayStation 2 game was the best Christmas present I've ever had until it turned out to be a disaster when there was a disk read error, meaning that it did not work due to the scratches that the disk has had (Aunty Tan brought the one that was just available in Canada as she said to me) & had our traditional Christmas dinner, but the Northland one in 2023 with the late Carole (Who had her last Christmas here in New Zealand the year before where she was in Dubai in the UAE to be by her bro Zaki's side, & the year after her last Christmas here in Whanganui in 2022), Pops, Kathryn & Ken was the one that I overly impressed the most in all of the Christmases that I have ever experienced.

And thirdly in the rugby that there are 5 potential debutants for the All Blacks could even feature this year such as Corey Kellow, Siale Lauaki, Kini Naholo, Dylan Pledger & Tyrone Thompson even though with our next test scheduled in July against France in the inaugural game of the World Rugby Nations Championship (In that is similar to cricket's Champions Trophy, as well as league's Pacific Rugby League Championships, & football/soccer's Finalissima) on home soil at the new 30,000 seat One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch (Our first test in that city since 2022 where New Zealand had tasted defeat against Argentina during the Rugby Championship, but France haven't played at that venue since 2013 in which the All Blacks had a comprehensive 30 - 0 drubbing over the French), followed by Ireland at the 50,000 seat Eden Park in Auckland (In which Ireland haven't played at that venue since 2022 before claiming an unlikely test series win after being 1 - 0 down, but the AB's are seeking to extend that unbeaten record to 53 in which the ground is most favourable for the home team in tests), & Italy at the 34,500 Sky Stadium in Wellington (While both Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin & FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton are both forced to sit that one out of hosting a home All Blacks test) also both at home before embarking a 4 match test series (Both in Joburg, & one each in also both Cape Town & at a neutral venue) against South Africa in rugby's greatest rivalry, & after that it's Australia (In which we play both test matches in a home and away series against them, but we're not playing Argentina & the reason why? Is that the last time we have not met them was in 2010), then England away in a chance to avenge the demons from last year as well as Scotland & Wales before the finals takes place at Allianz Stadium Twickenham in London in November 2026.

And finally that I have revealed my fave F1 constructor that I'm supporting, & it's McLaren (I should've gone for RB Racing Bulls because of the constructor that our own Kiwi Liam Lawson who drives for them), but the reason why? Is that it's British, but founded by a late New Zealander named Bruce McLaren who was once part of the golden generation of racing car drivers here in New Zealand during the 1960's along with the late Le Mans winning driver of Chris Amon, & the former world champion from 1967 of the late Denny Hulme (Well, I have mentioned that story before in my blogs like twice like in both 2022 & also the year before, but there has been an update as legendary New Zealand IndyCar driver Scott Dixon (Who has been champion 6 times in IndyCar (2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 & 2020), as well as he first came to the US way back in 1999 to compete in Indy Lights, a year before becoming champion back in 2000, then he became rookie of the year a year later also back in 2001 (Same year that he won the race at age 20 in Nazareth, Pennsylvania (The Andretti family's home track), & is 2nd on the all-time American Open Wheel racing list behind the great AJ Foyt, with 59 (8 behind him), has been given a knighthood for his services to motor racing as part of the New Year's honours list in our country of New Zealand), but my favourite F1 track would have to be Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Which is near Mont-Saint Hilaire where Aunty Tan & Rejean currently live) since it appeared on the Gran Turismo 7 Spec III update along with the Yas Marina Circuit located in Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates, because it used to be the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia as Aunty Tan told me last year during our conversation at Thai Villa on New Year's Eve.

So that is my 667th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 19th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Let It Ride: My 18th Blog of the year 2026

Well, hi everybody, & welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that there was a terror attack happening in Australia, as 15 people, including a 10 year old girl, as well as a British rabbi & a holocaust survivor - were murdered when both gunmen for which is a father & son being trained by the ISIS Islamic State terrorist group who both targeted Jewish people attending a Hanukkah celebration as part of a terrorist activity that happened on December 14th last year (Just 2 months after the Gaza war had finished with a ceasefire deal being set up by the United States, but that dreadful invasion that has been going since 2022 is still going as they are not going to find a solution to end that conflict, but if I see a Ukrainian affected by it that I'll show plenty of respect & kindness towards them) at Archer Park beside Bondi Beach in Sydney when it took place in the late afternoon (And there has been an arrest already against the 24 year old guy as he is expected to press criminal charges against him for the mass killing for which is bad (While the guy's dad was shot & killed by police, & I thought I was living in fear & was feeling unsafe because of the incidents that they previously had that I saw on CNN, but it's lucky that I'm not according to Aunty Tan who alluded to me before on December 18th which was a week before the real thing of Christmas due to New Zealand being a safe country (In that the firearm legislations such as the gun control measures seemed to be effective similar to Australia in the aftermath of the tragedy which had been struck with the Christchurch mass mosque massacre back on the 15th of March in 2019 (And it's similar to Aramoana way back in 1990), so too is both Australia (We have good relations to them, except on the sporting field such as rugby, cricket, league & football/soccer) & Canada (The safest country in North America), meanwhile cities around the world such as Berlin, Germany as well as London, UK, & New York City, New York, United States are on high alert (How? Since there is heightened security measures being ramped up all over the place in these cities that are part of the Jewish celebrations that continue right through until Sunday (But there has been an update that the war on hate speech such as antisemitism in Australia, has begun according to the Australian Prime Minister of Anthony Albanese just recently following that serious incident as the state of New South Wales is about to weaponize terror symbols, as well as stamping out on gun violence which is still rare in the country even though with the terror threat level is in fact high, & tweaks to the firearm legislations such as shotguns used in the mass killings being outlawed in that state meaning that it is harder for anyone to access these weapons from now on) along with the memorial service that they just held recently under heightened law enforcement presence (And security has since been upped in the aftermath of the tragic mass murder that the nation was in mourning as it's currently both fighting & tackling abusive speech nationwide as they asked for respect towards Jewish people that there's no place of hatred & spiteful vitriol such as saying mean things like that dreadful American leader for example towards them, & they must stand united against it, like both violent & aggressive conduct for which is a no-no at Pak N Save here in New Zealand who had introduced facial recognition technology so that they can track down & deter the troublemakers (Just like Nigel Christie's adopted son Isaac who got suspended for vaping illegally at a supermarket, according to one of Aunty Tan's comments that I can vaguely recall) when Australia had its 9/11 moment (The tragic Port Arthur shootings took place in Australia way back in 1996 in which Aussies were evoking memories of it that they experienced terror in Australia at Bondi Beach, 5 years prior to the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, also took place in the United States), but the Jewish people are required to be protected species by cops (Police officers) after the incident (And it is important just like that), just like the US President are always protected species by the US Secret Service, then world leaders such as other presidents & prime ministers as well as most important politicians, billionaires, multi-millionaires, & high profile celebs are in fact also protected species by those security managers or protectors I should say) following that tragic incident which was Australia's darkest days since the shootings in Port Arthur way back in 1996 that triggered a war on semi automatic, high powered rifles (And the fatal shootings like these ones are both potentially dreadful & shocking! And I mean, that is disgraceful, because I'm sick of this hell! Stop!), but I would like to acknowledge the victims of the tragic event that happened especially down under in Australia, along with the dreadful Brown University shootings in Rhode Island by a Portuguese national named Claudio Neves Valente who caused the killing of an MIT professor, & took his own life in Salem, New Hampshire at a storage unit to avoid getting captured by authorities, & the shocking double murder of both filmmaker Rob & Michele Singer Reiner in LA, they will be greatly missed (And last year in 2025 is in fact the year of sorrow due to those sombre tragedies that they had, including multiple high profile incidents) even with the flags have been asked to lower at half mast, while they would like to express all their thoughts, prayers & heartfelt condolences go to the victims being involved in such tragic circumstances like this (And yes, it was a hell of these losses indeed, just like the late Carole who was a hell of a loss when she passed away on the 17th of November last year due to drug overdose, as our entire Ngapo & Webb whanau were shocked about her passing, according to Aunty Tan's Christmas message that she delivered to us, as the message reads that both she & Rejean would like to acknowledge the recent passing of the late Carole Webb (I did not know that she was a drug addict until her death, such as the refusal to go on holiday to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands with Pops back in October last year) who was a fun, caring, supportive partner to Pops, a great friend of mine & a loved member of our whanau, she will be greatly missed).

And secondly in gaming that I purchased V8 Supercars 3 (Which was released back in 2006, the year that I first played it briefly in Auckland) on the old PlayStation 2 game along with Need for Speed: Payback at EB Games on the 21st of December (4 days before Christmas) for which I loved it since the bonus codes system were available online (Compared to 2007-10 for which was unavailable, but the game received rave reviews as well as critical acclaim that was compared to both Gran Turismo 4 & the first Forza Motorsport game) because of that game being my faves on the PS2 for which is like & similar to also both Project Cars 3 & Gran Turismo 7 as well.

And thirdly in the sports news that I saw on the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper on the 22nd of December such as Swiss tennis sensation of Stan Wawrinka who announced his retirement from tennis at the end of this year, even though the one time Grand Slam winner is set to compete in the men's ASB Classic due in January after the women (It was Danish women's player of Clara Tauson who was declared the title winner after Japan's Naomi Osaka who withdrew through injury during the women's singles final), but he chose to withdraw due to workload management that he sustained in the United Cup. 

And lastly in the rugby department that I also saw on the sports news section of the Whanganui Chronicle as Black Ferns loose forward Layla Sae who is set to miss many of this season through an ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament) injury sustained whilst on duty for Harlequins women in the Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) competition in England which will see her spend the first half of the season on the sidelines as she continues to recover from that debilitating injury until Sae returns for international duty late in the season in home tests against both the Wallaroos & France.

So that is my 666th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 18th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. #respectthejews

Art for Art's Sake: My 17th Blog of the year 2026

Well, what's up guys, & welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that Kathryn had just left on December 14th from the airport to be back home in Hihi in Northland (I went for a walk with her & Pops at Virginia Lake then had lunch at Parnell's), then Carolyn 'Cryn' Russell who is one of Aunty Tan's friends turned up with her husband Murray when we went to Stellar restaurant, then they left before going to Rutland Arms on December 16th (Finally) where I had a chicken curry there, meanwhile a day later on December 17th, it's Bob & Helen Chong who came to Caroline's Boatshed restaurant where I had steak with fries & salad, then 2 days later on December 19th (A day after me, Pops, Aunty Tan & Rejean had pizza straight from Domino's where I literally enjoyed that) that I finally bought the PlayStation 2 slim console but with controller & power cords so I can play the games that I own already, especially Rugby 08 where I played that old school retro stuff for the first time in 15 years (I last played it in 2010 so I do not have to).

And secondly that I have a journal which is about the trip to Australia back in August 2011 (That's a month before the 2011 men's Rugby World Cup tournament began in New Zealand) that Aunty Tan had found according to Pops filing cabinet, so that's why I wanted to write a journal about my 2nd Australia trip back & forth for which was my recent holiday abroad (Compared to my first which was in Samoa 2005 (A year before Auckland also back in 2006 & the year after Christchurch back in 2004) to date which inspired me of first becoming a blogger, a year later also back in 2012 so that's why I've been doing 665 blogs & counting since the Australia holiday journal that I did, similar to Alisa's journal in the Tekken 6 game (Then later Raven after Alisa Bosconovitch who was the one that she betrayed Lars Alexandersson when she joined forces with Jin Kazama (Who was the CEO & head of the Mishima Zaibatsu at the time when he took over from the late Jinpachi, before Heihachi took over from his grandson before the events of Tekken 7, followed by his father & enemy Kazuya from his abusive dad also before the events of Tekken 8) for the remainder of the Scenario Campaign mode).

And thirdly while that there was a serious incident in Los Angeles, California where the married Hollywood couple of filmmaker Rob Reiner & his wife Michele getting murdered in a stabbing incident at their home with stab wounds by the son named Nick who is expected to face charges of double murder & has already been in custody by the LAPD (And the family of the slain duo are asking for both privacy & respect for which has been requested).

And finally that England's chances of a comeback of winning the Ashes cricket series, has been short lived as Australia were in a overwhelmingly dominant position to retain it, have delivered with an 82 run win during the 3rd test over the English who were slain at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, & I mean what went wrong for England as Mitchell Starc had to break English hearts for the 3rd time in a row in a tense third test in which Will Jacks, Jamie Smith & Brydon Carse resisted when the Aussies are adapting to Travball (Named after Travis Head who produced another ton during the 3rd test as he was always being both the aggressor & is fearless in terms of his style of batting where his offensive play contributed to Head's entertaining, but high scoring performances (And the late Shane Warne posted his tweet about him being a future star in cricket, especially in test level that was back in 2016 that I remember seeing it online) similar to Bazball that had been backfired which marked the beginning of the end (And the Aussies had celebrated for in a hostile way, which there will be a crackdown that had been enforced but issued as they had gone too far, but the team had been asked that they never want to do that again to avoid causing trouble in order to cut hostilities out between them & the English that they got to show respect at all times).

So that is my 665th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 17th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Tusk: My 16th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (But this is a double post remember, please acknowledge), but first that social media checks upon entering to the United States (For which is a strict, hostile country similar to nationalist Germany in the 1930's to 40's, as well as South Africa during apartheid & the country who started that dreadful invasion since 2022 (And it has been 4 years since that terrible conflict (For which had been brutal, deadly & sadistic meaning that February 24th this year had marked 4 years of that horrible invasion by that autocratic country who started it of invading Ukraine) began when enemy forces descended upon Ukraine (And this is similar to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith that during the movie that the Galactic Republic would gone on to become the Galactic Empire when they started murdering all but both treacherous members of the Jedi Order known as the execution of Order 66 AKA the Great Jedi Purge (And there were both survivors, such as the late Jedi Grand Master Yoda & the late Jedi Master of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Who got killed in a duel against Darth Vader (The dark lord of the Sith) during the first Star Wars movie) where the Jedi viewed them as traitors during the waning hours of the Clone Wars) for that was unfortunate that there had been millions of casualties during that horrendous but senseless war for which I'm still keeping it clean & respectful to avoid backlash as well as being sensitive to the country who started it (Even Dad told me that it could end if the country who started that dreadful invasion could run out of money or funds I should say) on that matter, but they're not going to find of coming up with that solution of ending that brutal but deadly, prolonged invasion) will have to be mandated in time for this year's Football/Soccer men's World Cup tournament with visitors from 42 countries including New Zealand would be required to do that because it is very similar to a background check of purchasing firearms whether he or she can't be a criminal from legitimately entering that country (And there was an NHL player who is waiting for that immigration clearance to enter that country according to one of the ice hockey games that I saw on TV).

And secondly that there was a Nobel peace prize winner who is a female from Venezuela who fled her home country to evade that travel suspension just to be in Norway there to receive the award due to Venezuela's war on opposition leaders, meanwhile that the Americans had confiscated a ship belonging to the Venezuelans according to that greedy American leader (I hate him, I really hate him because the reason why? Is that he could be my personal public enemy number one, damn that scum! But I always label him as a corrupt & woke politician since I can't stand with that far-right wing conservative people, especially Americans since I'm always a far-left wing liberal type of person, just like Fox is right wing & CNN being left wing) who announced it (And there could be a potential war between the Americans & the Venezuelans that might even be possible, but they haven't decided on that occasion (And there has been an update as 3 days are into the New Year when American forces have swooped in to capture the embattled president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro & his wife who was extradited to the US in New York City for his court appearance in which he pleaded not guilty to potential corruption charges, & is being held in Guantanamo Bay prison for his crimes that he committed (And the latest as the Venezuelan sanctions imposed by the US had been lifted, hence the reason why).

And thirdly that damn, why does it always happen to me? As there has been a war on gangs here in New Zealand, & the reason why? Is because of that strict law measures being introduced to stamp out gangs who gather in public places to physically intimidate & harm or hurt them I should say have been tightened since November the year before in order to keep our Kiwis safe from them according to the National government & their Prime Minister of Christopher Luxon when they successfully won the general election in 2023 (Just like in 2009 that the city of Whanganui that I live prohibits gangs accessing in public places such as cafes & restaurants like the Cobb for example right there), but I feel safe every damn time when I go for my walk every 6 days excluding Sunday being a rest day, & except on rainy days, because of no sign of any gang presence there due to the legislation change by the right wing conservative National Party had signed an executive order reform that curb gang members who access the public by abusing, attacking/assaulting, abducting/kidnapping, or worse than that, killing/murdering them.

And lastly that there has been an unfortunate incident that I saw on CNN such as the fatal shooting at Brown university in Rhode Island during the 2nd day of final examination week for the fall semester with both getting murdered & injured 9 others while the search for the gunman is on according to Rhode Island police (And there has been an update as the man who acted alone, is from Portugal who killed himself just to avoid capture in a storage unit was the same shooter from a IT Tech building for which has been ruled as a suicide according to the police chief instead of him getting shot & killed by police, oh god, that is terrible what happened, but how did he swap number plates just to avoid detection after he had been at a hotel in Boston, Massachusetts since last month renting a car? How? Because of a tipster on Reddit help cops identify the Brown University shooter when IRS criminal investigators played a crucial role in assisting the Feds of tracking down the shooter).

So that is my 664th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 16th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Listen to the Music: My 15th Blog of the year 2026 (AKA 686 days: The Ballad of Aunty Tan & Rejean)

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that both Aunty Tan & Rejean are finally here in New Zealand, then Whanganui 2 days later at last, for the first time since January 24th, 2024 in which they left New Zealand shores to go to Vanuatu, then they headed back home to Canada until December 8th when they arrived in New Zealand in which they have been to New Plymouth to stay at Nigel Christie's place, just 2 days before they headed to Whanganui where our whanau had dinner at St John's Club Elms Restaurant where I had a pasta, then a day later, I was having pork chops with a homemade coleslaw & fried rice with Aunty Tan & Rejean, then Kathryn had just arrived 1 day later at the airport to drop her off at our place to stay for 2 nights, then we went to Thai Villa for a great family dinner where I had a Pad Thai since both Rutland Arms & Caroline's Boatshed were fully booked, & the reason why? Is because of the restaurant goers want to do it before Christmas.

And secondly that the newly crowned Formula One world champion Lando Norris who announced that he'll be running car number 1 next season (The first to do so since Jenson Button back in 2010 when he moved to McLaren after his successful title winning efforts with Brawn GP also back in 2009 (In which they had a kind of fairytale, Cinderella story type of season a year after the Honda Racing F1 Team had closed down due to the global financial economic crisis that they once had in 2008-09 along with A1GP, & both Subaru & Suzuki World Rally teams had pulled out before the WRC season had started) who became Mercedes-AMG since 2010) as he followed the footsteps of the new Supercars Champion Chaz Mostert (The one who ended Broc Feeney's chances of a maiden title in Adelaide during the Supercars Championship finals, then Lando pulled off a Mostert inspired performance during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that he finally deserved to be the new world champion) who'll be driving a Toyota Supra GR in next year's Supercars Championship season, & others including Will Brown, Brodie Kostecki, Simon Pagenaud, Josef Newgarden, Jamie Whincup, Thierry Neuville, Sebastian Vettel, & Max Verstappen (Who'll change his car number from 33 originally, to 3 which is his old Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo's racing number that he once used since Max who would narrowly fall short of 2 points behind the eventual world champion of Norris last season).

And thirdly in the gaming department that the reason why I want to buy both the digital version of both Need for Speed: Heat, & Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit remastered on the PS4, is that I own both physical copies of the game on the PS4 even though with NFS Heat being cheap due to a discount compared to NFS HP remastered being expensive as a result of the pricing system that they're having. 

And finally that the Black Caps go 1 - 0 up in the series following a 9 wicket win over the West Indies at the Cello Basin Reserve in Wellington with 1 test to go (The standout performer of that game went to Jacob Duffy who picked up a fifer in the 2nd innings (And I mean, what a player, what a performance from him (But the 2nd test was blighted or dogged I should say with Blair Tickner picking up an injury whilst attempting to field near the boundary meaning that he's ruled out on the tour to India, along with Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Will O'Rourke, Matt Fisher, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Muhammad Abbas, & Matt Henry that are part of the casualty ward) as I managed to watch the recorded programme on TV after seeing the result on the sports news section of the Whanganui Chronicle newspaper article on the morning of December 13th last year.

So that is my 663rd blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 15th of this year, viva Ukraine.